Peter Scarlet named Artistic Director of the Tribeca Film Festival and Nancy Schafer and Paola Freccero named Co-Executive Directors

Jennifer Maguire Isham to become Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises

New York, NY, June 7, 2007 — Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Enterprises Co-founder Jane Rosenthal announced today that Peter Scarlet has been promoted to Artistic Director of the Festival and Nancy Schafer has been promoted to Co-Executive Director. Schafer will share the position with Paola Freccero who joins the company full time as Co-Executive Director. Schafer and Freccero will also hold posts as Senior Vice Presidents of Tribeca Enterprises. Rosenthal further announced that Jennifer Maguire Isham will now serve as Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises to help identify new business opportunities domestically and abroad, after having served six years as the Festival’s president. The role of Festival president has been retired at this time. All positions are newly created and the appointments are effective immediately.

“Peter, Nancy, and Paola bring more than 50 years of experience to this Festival as it moves into its seventh year. Together they comprise an extraordinarily innovative and talented leadership team which will lead the Tribeca Film Festival as it continues to evolve from both an industry and consumer perspective,” said Rosenthal. “Peter Scarlet has long been the artistic voice of the Festival’s film programming and as Artistic Director will continue to shape the creative aspects of the Festival’s programming as it grows and will work to increase our presence in the international film community. Nancy and Paola are outstanding creative executives who bring significant business and operational experience to their new roles, which will help lead the Festival and expand its activities.”

Rosenthal continued, “Jennifer Maguire Isham has been instrumental in the success of the Festival, having helped shape it since its inception. Her experience and creativity will assist in new business developments for Tribeca Enterprises.”

Scarlet will continue to act as chief programmer of the Festival in addition to his new responsibilities as Artistic Director. He will also play a critical ambassadorial role for the Festival working to build its brand awareness in the international community. He will report to Rosenthal.

Schafer and Freccero will jointly oversee the day-to-day operations of the Festival, with Schafer overseeing film and industry operations and Freccero overseeing content production, website and special events. Both will play a pivotal role in the growth of the Tribeca Film Festival and in the year-round activities of Tribeca Enterprises. They will report to Jon Patricof, COO of Tribeca Enterprises on business affairs and Jane Rosenthal on all creative matters.

“I share my colleagues’ optimism that this realignment of our creative and managerial energies puts us in a strong position as we refine the Festival,” said Peter Scarlet.

“After 14 years programming and managing film festivals, I look forward to working more closely with this leadership team to build on our past successes of the Festival. Together, we can shape an exciting future for the Film Festival and Tribeca’s new initiatives,” said Nancy Schafer.

“Over the past two years as a consultant I've come to know and respect the Tribeca organization and team,” said Paola Freccero. “I am confident that together we can strengthen and expand this dynamic brand to reach its full potential.”

“After six years of helping to build and shape the Festival, I am excited to work at Tribeca Enterprises where I will look to find new ways and initiatives to support independent film and filmmakers on a year round basis” said Jennifer Maguire Isham. “Having worked with Peter, Nancy and Paola, I believe they are the ideal team to build on the success the Festival has achieved thus far.”

Scarlet joined the organization a few months after the first Tribeca Film Festival had been held in Spring 2002, with the responsibility of overseeing its film program, and he quickly expanded the Festival’s international footprint. Previously, Scarlet had directed the San Francisco International Film Festival, the oldest in the U.S., from 1983 to 2001 and is credited with having been the first to screen in the US the work of such now-famed figures as Léos Carax, Jane Campion, Alan Clarke, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Spike Lee, Mike Leigh, Guy Maddin and Christopher Nolan. He was the first American ever named to serve as Director General of Paris’s famed Cinémathèque Française, a post he filled briefly before coming to Tribeca. He has also worked in film production and film education, and in 2001 was honored by being named an Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters by France’s Ministry of Culture.

Schafer, who joined the Tribeca Film Festival as a programmer when the Festival was founded in 2002, most recently held the title of Managing director and programmer for the Festival. Prior to joining Tribeca, she created and ran the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW Film) in Austin, Texas for eight years. Schafer has also worked in production.

Freccero joins the company full time having most recently served as a consultant to Tribeca Enterprises where she worked on business development projects and oversaw content initiatives for the 2007 Festival. An independent consultant since 2005, Freccero has worked on new business development and content initiatives for such clients as Court TV, Universal Music and Video Distribution, Re:New Media (formerly National Video Resources) and Smithsonian Networks, among others. Previously, Freccero was Sundance Channel’s Senior Vice President, Film Programming where she supervised the acquisition, programming and scheduling of Sundance Channel’s film line-up. During her tenure, Freccero launched both Sundance Channel Home Entertainment and the Sundance Film Series, and previously held the title of Vice President, International spearheading Sundance Channel’s business development activities overseas. Before joining Sundance Channel, Freccero was Artistic Director of the Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival.

Maguire Isham has been with the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute since its inception, becoming President of the Festival in 2003. Prior to joining Tribeca, she worked as a Senior Vice President of Programming for CNN/US, with oversight of the network’s schedule and the development of new programming, and served as a member of the Turner Executive Board. Before CNN, Maguire Isham was a journalist at ABC News for over 10 years. She began her career working at Sawyer Miller the political consulting firm.

About the Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff after the attacks on the World Trade Center to help economically and culturally revitalize Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture. The Festival’s mission is to assist filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and the general public to experience the power of film, and to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center.

In its first five years, the festival attracted over one and a half million attendees from the US and abroad and created more than $325 million in economic activity for New York City.

The Festival is anchored in Tribeca with additional venues throughout Manhattan, and includes film screenings, special events, concerts, a family street fair, and Tribeca Talks panel discussions. For more information on the festival visit: www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

About Tribeca Enterprises
Tribeca Enterprises is a diversified multi-platform media company located in New York City. Established in 2003 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, the company currently operates a network of branded entertainment businesses including the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Cinemas and Tomorrow Unlimited. The Company's mission is to provide artists with unique platforms to expand the audience for their works and to broaden the access point for consumers to experience independent film and media.